We Do It For Lou

The years of 2009 and 2010 were important years for my personal health and development.  February 3, 2009 - I had the distinction of reaching 262 pounds for the 3rd time in my life.  As a medical student I have the opportunity to see the effects of the obesity epidemic that has ravaged the nation.  While counseling patients about their need to decrease their weight, I realized that I needed to join them and get down to a healthier weight myself or suffer the consequences of chronic obesity.  I accepted the challenge of making my own health a priority and through dietary and lifestyle modifications I dropped below the 200 pound mark in February 2010 for the first time since eighth grade (1998).  Throughout the rest of 2010 I was able to maintain my new, healthier weight of approximately 195-200 pounds. 

Having now met my weight loss challenge, I feel the need to continue to challenge myself both physically and mentally.  After deciding that running a marathon would be the ideal way to continue pushing myself toward healthy living, I made the even more important decision to not just run a marathon for myself.  Instead, I will be running a marathon to help raise awareness and funds for a charitable organization.

I have chosen to support Iron Phi becuase of my positive experiences raising money for ALS as a member of the Iowa State chapter of Phi Delta Theta.  The mission of Iron Phi is to strengthen the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity and the impact it has on the fight against Lou Gehrig's disease through the fundraising and athletic efforts of its members.  Lou Gehrig was a member of Phi Delta Theta, and our organization has taken an active role in finding a cure for this devastating illness.  I will be attempting to become an Iron Phi - a distinction given to a small percentage of members within my Fraternity who have accepted the challenge of raising money in support of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) research, education, screening and treatment.  Net proceeds will also help strengthen an organization (Phi Delta Theta) that has had a lasting impact on my life.

The 34th annual Lincoln Marathon will be held in Lincoln, NE on May 1st, 2011.

According to The ALS Association's web site, approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death.

Additionally, I am running in support of my grandfather, Thomas Carroll M.D., a loving family man, devoted physician and icon of volunteerism in his community who succumbed to a neurodegenerative disease similar to ALS (but not actually ALS) in the spring of 2007.  For these reasons and more I'm accepting the challenge to become an Iron Phi. I want to do something bold about Lou Gehrig's disease and similar neurodegenerative diseases.

I've set my personal goal at $1000 and I need your help. Would you please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or even $50?  You can make a donation on this page by clicking on the "Make a Gift" link below the thermometer. You can also send a check to Iron Phi to me at (email me for an adress) if you'd rather donate that way.

I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!

Sincerely,

Neil Carroll